A colorful graphic t-shirt with an original, eye-catching design is a staple of most people’s wardrobe. A unique print applied to clothing allows you to stand out from the crowd and show your

•  individuality. This is why the business of producing printed clothing is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are many different ways you can decorate apparel, including:

• • Heat transfer
  • Screen printing
  • Direct-to-garment printing

And many more! For high volume production, screen printing is the most cost effective method. Automatic screen printing presses are used for the largest print runs. Thanks to the variety of options, it’s possible to apply images of any complexity to clothing in unlimited quantities with excellent results.

Equipment for Printing on T-Shirts

Apparel printing is extremely popular. This service is needed by everyone from customers seeking custom garments for special events, teams and clubs, to large companies ordering customized corporate shirts and jackets for their employees. Business in the apparel printing sector is undoubtedly competitive, and highly profitable for printing companies that invest in the correct processes, procedures and equipment to help them run efficiently. Let’s take a look at the essential equipment needed to run a successful screen printing shop.

Automatic Screen Printing Machines

A modern automatic screen printing press is the centerpiece of a high production screen printing shop. Some of the different automatic press options offered by Anatol include:

• The unique INFINITY fully servo-driven automatic oval screen printing press. Fully servo-electric, no air compressor required. Oval screen printing presses are good solutions for printing very large images, for printing very large quantities, and for printing many colors.
• The fully electric VOLT carousel automatic screen printing press. VOLT presses are equipped with servo indexers for smooth and quiet pallet movement from station to station, even at the highest speeds. Printing parameters are set with the touch of a button directly from the user-friendly touchscreen. The VOLT by Anatol is the world’s only industrial-grade, full-size all-electric screen printing machine.
• Vector carousel automatic screen printing machine. The Vector includes many of the features of the fully electric VOLT, but requires an air compressor for the vertical movement of the squeegee and flood bar, as well as to lock and unlock the indexer.
• Titan carousel automatic screen printing machine. Anatol Titan presses are available in a few different configurations, combining pneumatic and electric components. The Titan requires a smaller air compressor than other presses in its class, which means lower operating costs and the ability to run more environmentally friendly production.
• Color Magic one color graphic flatbed automatic screen printing press. A single color screen printing machine designed for printing signs, posters, banners, and other large-sized flat stock. The Color Magic is suitable for printing paper, glass, metal, vinyl, plastic, and almost any other flat material.
• Prodigy is a small format screen printing machine. Ideal for printing on smaller materials, such as shirt tags, sleeves, bags, souvenirs, and other promotional items. The Prodigy is a fully servo-driven automatic press, so no air compressor is required.

Choose the best option for your shop, or contact an Anatol specialist for help.

Manual Screen Printing Machines

Most screen printers get their start using manual presses. Manual screen printing machines are a great alternative to automatic presses for screen printers who are printing smaller volumes. They are equipped with all the features and capabilities you need to make detailed, high-quality prints, at a price point more accessible to beginners. Even automatic press shops continue to use manual presses, as backup machines for test printing, sampling and printing small images or unconventional print locations. Anatol builds heavy-duty manual screen printing machines for shops of all sizes, including:

1. Anatol’s Tornado manual t-shirt printing machine combines serious features with a small footprint, making it ideal for shops with limited space.
2. Thunder is an industrial-grade manual screen printing machine, with robust construction and an innovative design. Thunder is a great addition to a screen printing shop as a sampling or production machine.
3. Lightning is a commercial-grade manual screen printing press with a durable, lightweight design that’s built for years of trouble-free printing. A great option for a starter printing machine or small print shops.

With a reliable manual press, you can produce high-quality images consistently and with minimum wear and tear on your body.

Conveyor Dryers

Conveyor dryers are necessary to maintain print quality and ensure your screen prints are properly cured, at the highest production volume. Anatol builds a wide variety of conveyor dryers for shops both large and small, including models suitable for plastisol, water-based, discharge and other ink types.

1. Vulcan series gas conveyor dryers are designed for curing a wide range of materials decorated with screen printing, direct-to-garment printing and other printing methods. The best choice for high volume printing companies that require efficiency and versatility.
2. Ultra forced air electric conveyor dryers include a built-in air circulation system for fast and efficient curing of water-based ink as well as plastisol, when gas is not available.
3. Solutions series electric conveyor dryers are well suited for curing plastisol ink. They are an affordable and efficient curing unit for small and medium-sized shops.
4. Solutions Mini is Anatol’s most compact series of conveyor dryers, starting at just 5 feet in overall length. Solutions Mini is a perfect choice for a manual print shop looking for a reliable, professional conveyor dryer.

Whether you’re starting a screen printing business or looking for upgraded equipment to increase production and efficiency, Anatol has a conveyor dryer to suit your needs.

Flash Cure Units

Flash cure units are used to partially cure a layer of screen printed ink, so you can print other layers on top and achieve crisp, consistent results. The most common use of a flash cure unit is to cure a white underbase. Anatol makes a selection of different flash cures for various applications. All Anatol flashes use quartz lamps as heating elements, which activate and deactivate automatically, saving electricity compared to infrared panel flashes which are always on.

1. Comet Smart quartz flash cure unit includes a built-in temperature sensor, so you can program the exact desired flash temperature and the Comet Smart will heat up to and maintain it for a set amount of time. Easy to program, economical to use.
2. Comet Light is Anatol’s most affordable flash cure unit, and it’s designed to be a perfect secondary flash on an Anatol automatic press. A more efficient alternative to an infrared flash cure.
3. Comet Pro is a quartz flash cure unit that is equally suitable for use with a manual press or automatic press, right out of the box with no add-ons required.
4. Rapid Wave quartz flashes are fast, powerful curing devices which are perfect for high volume production when paired with an automatic press.

All Anatol flash cure devices for screen printing are designed to cure quickly and evenly over the entire surface of the printed image, even on large format designs.

Pre-Press Equipment

High-quality screen printing is impossible without properly performing pre-press equipment. The following machines are useful for perfecting your pre-press process:

• Formulator Mini: mini ink mixer for screen printing
• Formulator: mixer for larger screen printing ink containers
• Formulator Double: mixer for two ink containers at the same time
• Quick Light UV LED exposure unit
• Quik-Kote Mini: automatic emulsion coating machine for single screens
• Quik-Kote: automatic emulsion coating machine for two screens at the same time
• Cube screen drying cabinet
• ARME (Anatol Registration Made Easy) pre-registration system
• Aurora UV LED exposure unit
• Washout booth
• Pneumatic screen stretcher

Remember that the quality of your screen prints doesn’t just depend on your screen printing press, it also depends very heavily on dependable equipment in your pre-press department.

Accessories for Screen Printing

A skilled screen printer and a good screen printing machine are not enough to achieve high-quality screen printings every time, sometimes you need some helpful accessories to make the job go smoothly. Anatol offers a wide range of screen printing accessories to ensure your production runs as efficiently as possible. Among them:

• Pallets in a wide range of sizes and for a wide range of applications
• Additional squeegees and flood bars
• Storage equipment
• On-press cooling fans and heat presses

And a lot more! Many accessories can be customized to fit your needs perfectly. With Anatol screen printing machines, you can product excellent quality prints in the shortest possible time. Our team of engineers is proud to offer a full product line built with unmatched quality and customization options that will help your shop achieve unbeatable results.